Things Byron ate five weeks ago - Part Four: It's not just what you eat...

...It's also what you drink. After the last two parts of this project, I figure I should refer more to what Byron actually ate as opposed to the general recommendations (though based on some Facebook "likes" I'm thinking people do like reading the general stuff, n'est-ce pas?) so I put my mathemadietitian skills to work and made another chart to try to illustrate how much Byron drinks:

Most of Byron's calories come from solid foods (he's still got all his teeth, after all), but you see that the alcohol quickly adds up - throughout the week, his alcohol intake (I included mixed drinks) made up of 16% of his total calorie intake that week. Add in the Grande Caramel Macchiatos, Vitamin Waters, Arizona Iced Teas and pop, and you find that Byron got 30.5% of his calories from liquids!

The association between alcohol and mortality is a J-shaped curve, meaning that studies that measure how much and how often people drink compared to when they die show that moderate drinkers live longer than non-drinkers. Moderate drinking has a very narrow definition - two drinks per day if you are male, and one drink per day if you are female. A drink is defined as 12 oz beer (the size of a bottle - I've seen "pints" range from the actual 16 oz up to 20 oz), 5 oz wine or 1.5 oz spirits. These drinks need to be spread out - you can't not drink for a week and then have 14 drinks in one night.

Alcohol actually supplies 7 calories per gram (vs. 4 kcal/g for carbs and protein and 9 kcal/g for fat) so the calories can add up quickly within itself, but then you also have to add the calories (mainly sugar and other carbs) from beer and wine itself, or some of the mixers you use. Since alcohol is metabolized differently from carbs, protein and fat, it doesn't supply energy in the same way that those macronutrients do (I won't explain the science here, but if you think about it, how many people have the energy to run around or do work that requires a lot of thinking after a night of drinking?) Excessive alcohol consumption has a lot of short- and long-term negative effects - it dehydrates you, it can damage the cells in your liver and your brain, it increases your triglyceride levels (thereby increasing your heart disease risk) and it can affect the absorption of certain vitamins and minerals. If you aren't eating well already, drinking only makes it more difficult for you to meet your needs.

Non-alcoholic drinks aren't that much better - we know this because soft drinks take the hit for the obesity epidemic all the time! Byron drinks a lot of Arizona Iced Tea and Vitamin [Sugar] Water, both of which get virtually all their calories from sugar! Sugar Stacks has a nice visual of how much sugar is in a bottle of Vitamin Water, which works out to just short of 3 tbsp. You think that's bad? Look at the photo of how much sugar is in a can of Arizona Iced Tea - 18 sugar cubes! That's 3/8 of a cup of sugar! That's... kinda gross.

The reason why sugary beverages are often referred to as "empty calories" is because they don't provide you with any nutrients other than sugar. Dates, for example, are quite high in sugar as well, but they're also packed with fibre, potassium, B vitamins, and the like. You could argue that Vitamin Water has a lot of vitamins, but you can easily get them from sources that aren't as high in sugar/calories, and who's to say we've discovered all the beneficial compounds in food already? It's much better to get all your nutrients from food as opposed to synthetic vitamins as there are probably lots of antioxidants, phytonutrients and other beneficial compounds that we haven't discovered yet to know to add to these food-like products.

Another reason why liquid calories can be considered "empty" is because they don't fill you up the same way that solids do. Think about it - you feel equally full at a meal whether you drink a bottle of water or a bottle of Vitamin Water. The difference is that the Vitamin Water has added another 120 calories.

That is why liquids don't make good snacks or breakfasts. While the protein from the milk in a grande Caramel Macchiato can be more filling than sugar water (fibre also helps fill you up too - that's why I think fruit smoothies made with fruit (not juice), milk and/or yogurt can be acceptable), Byron's coffee habit still costs him 240 calories and about 4 tsp of added sugar every morning, (Thanks Nutrition Action!) and not a lot nutrient-wise. Byron could save 50 calories and 3.5 g of saturated fat by asking for nonfat milk, but wouldn't it be better to spend those 240 calories on a breakfast like a slice of whole-grain toast (95 kcal) with a tbsp of peanut butter (also 95 kcal), half a banana or an apple (~50 kcal) and a glass of water? It would certainly be more filling, and you'd get a lot more nutrients as well.

So where does that leave us? Keeping hydrated is important as it plays a role in a lot of our body's functions and water should be the beverage of choice. There is no scientifically determined recommendation for fluids; the adequate intake (AI) established in the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) is based on the consumption of the "average, healthy" population and recommends 2.7 L/day for most adult women and 3.7 L/day for most adult men. Keep in mind that this number includes all dietary sources of water/fluids, including tea, coffee, juice, pop, milk, soups and even moisture in our foods! The best way to tell whether you are drinking adequately is if you urinate a reasonable volume, and your urine is clear or lemon juice-coloured. Note that some supplements may change the colour of your pee - you know your body best! I know even I struggle with getting enough water sometimes (which is why it is one of my new year's resolutions), so here are some tips that you may find helpful:

• Some people find having a water bottle with them at all times is helpful. I find that I just end up carrying it around and not drinking from it. At work, I always have a glass of water on my desk and I do drink from it. Even switching from a stainless steel bottle to a clear, BPA-free plastic bottle can make a difference.
  
• Add flavour by throwing in a slice of lemon (or other citrus), cucumber or frozen berries. I would shy away from products like Crystal Light, as the long-term effects of artificial sweeteners are as yet unknown... and I don't like the taste.
  
• Set goals. My current goal is to drink at least 48 oz of water per day, but for some people their goal might be to have a glass of water at every meal, or increase their intake by one glass for a month before adding another glass.